Writers

Crockett aware that opportunity knocks

Lynn McConnell 15 Aug 2014 Getty Images

All Blacks prop Wyatt Crockett goes into Saturday's Bledisloe Cup/Investec Rugby Championship Test against Australia with the biggest opportunity of his career.

With veteran loosehead prop Tony Woodcock out for the remainder of the year, Crockett has a chance to seal the position for himself in the interim but knows that it rests on making the most of the chance fate has provided.

"Whenever you get that opportunity to start you want to make the most of it and make a statement so I've got an opportunity to start and hopefully I can get out there and play well.

"I feel like I've prepared well all week so if I can get out there and play well I will be really happy," he said.

It was always a significant focus for the front five to set a sound platform for the rest of the side and to try and disrupt the opposition.

"They'll obviously be trying to do the same for us but whoever gets that ascendancy goes a long way towards setting the backs up," he said.

Crockett said there were aspects of the Super Rugby final that could be taken into the Test but he backed coach Steve Hansen's view that different teams and different coaches were involved.

Crockett said the Crusaders had possibly been a little passive in their tackles and that led to the Waratahs getting faster ball and attacking them particularly at the start of the game. And going 0-14 down early on was the lesson he would take out of it.

"But we're different teams and got different team-mates and opposition. They'll probably throw something a little different at us," he said.

Crockett has had issues with referees in the past, especially in scrums, but said the All Blacks tried to take the referees out of the equation when it came to scrummaging.

"If we do our job up front, hopefully, he'll just be there doing his job and won't have too much bearing on what we do up front," he said.

The Australians had scrummaged well against France earlier in the year and while they are down to third choice at hooker, they would still be a big challenge for the All Blacks.

Hooker Dane Coles backed that summation saying that as a pack the Australians were 'tough men'.

"They go 80 minutes and they are going to be very physical and especially their back five are tough, and good at set-piece time," he said.

"There's a big battle on our hands and we definitely respect them and it is going to be a good battle," he said.

Coles said the injuries the Australians had suffered up front only served to increase the pressure on the All Blacks to get the job done, because it was guaranteed Australia would be looking to pressure the Woodcock-less New Zealanders.

"It's like every game, it's won up front so we've got to start well and have a good crack there," he said.